


If I Had My Time Again

by greaserhadnothingtodowithit



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 07:52:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17402981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greaserhadnothingtodowithit/pseuds/greaserhadnothingtodowithit
Summary: It's been so long, but nothing ever changes. Even after all this time, he still misses them. But they're gone forever...or are they?Aka a Tuck Everlasting AU nobody asked for but I wanted





	If I Had My Time Again

 It was a chilly fall morning, and Ponyboy Curtis was taking a walk around the all too familiar area of Northern Tulsa. It was early, so early in fact that the sun had yet to come up and he was desperately awaiting its appearance. For now, the dim and worn out streetlights still barely illuminated the road he walked down, his shoes scraping freshly fallen leaves against the old asphalt with each step he took. His thoughts were louder than the noises made by his strides, they always were.

 He looked at houses and fences, trees with even more leaves falling from them to the ground below, and Ponyboy had to pretend the sight was intriguing to keep from turning and walking in the same direction as he came. Of course. Of course nothing had changed. Of course the houses were the same, just with fresh coats of paint and a new mailbox or two. Of course the only difference were the cars occupying the driveways and the residents.  _ Of fucking course _ .

 As he passed one house in particular, he couldn't stop how his throat closed up a little. Too many painful memories of muffled screams, a frustrated and mostly shaken up boy, all of it was still fresh in Pony's mind no matter how damn long it had been. He wondered if the people who lived there now knew of the so-called parents who had owned it at one time, or of the boy who had been a selfless hero, and paid the price. The boy who had been left behind.

 When he finally reached the park, a few things caught his eye. For starters, the grass looked like it hadn't been cut in ages, coming up to Ponyboy's knees as he trudged through it to the fountain. The old equipment had also finally been replaced, possibly due to the increase in children in the area along with the increase in tetanus shots from rusty metal. Regardless, it was a pleasant change in the otherwise boringly same place. 

 The sun was barely peeking through when he cautiously took a seat on the edge of the fountain, the sound of water hitting water making good background noise as he focused on the colors the sky, dark to light. It had taken him so long to be near that fountain again. Many times he couldn't even stand to glance at it without recalling water in his lungs and the blurred tinge of red before he'd fallen unconscious. But after enough times of edging closer and closer, he'd finally come to terms with it. It was a harsh reminder that a night so painful would never go away, just like that damn fountain. 

 Sunrises and sunsets were the one and only thing Ponyboy never grew tired of, and that was evident to him by the way he couldn't seem to take his eyes of the fusion of bright colors rising from nowhere every single morning to every single night. They weren't stuck in finality, or overstaying their welcome to the point that it became mundane. They rose, became something beautiful, then disappeared as easily as it arrived. 

 "Knew you'd be here."

 Ponyboy quickly looked back to see Sodapop standing there with his hands in his pockets and his typical goofy grin on his face. He didn't say anything as he stood up and jogged up to his brother to pull him into a tight hug. "Hey Soda."

 "Hiya Pony. Good to see you," the older boy replied warmly, hugging Ponyboy back just as tightly. "It's been too long. You look like you haven't aged day."

 "You make that joke every time I see you. Never gets any funnier," Ponyboy shot back, although he couldn't hide the smile he had. 

 It wasn't much later when the sunrise dissipated into a brand new bright, sunny Oklahoma day, and the two boys ceased with the small talk. 

 "Alright, we oughta head to the house. Darry'll be waiting for us."

 Ponyboy nodded, beginning to once again walk through the tall grass. After a second, he let out a slight scoff, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "It's been ten years. Ten minutes ain't gonna kill him."

 All Soda could do was laugh as he followed his brother, the two of them commenting on the long grass and the miniscule changes to the town as they made their way to their childhood home. 

 As the sound of crunching leaves returned to Ponyboy's ears, doubled by Soda's steps beside him, he let himself think more about what this reunion really meant. How it would be no different than the countless times they had done this same process of meeting, spending a few days together, then going off on their separate way for another however many years until they all decided it was time for the same rinse and repeat routine. 

 Pony wished he could be like the sunrise. A quick blend of bright color before slowly disappearing. Just like everyone...else. Just like every single other person on this planet.

 But no, here he was, fourteen for the past fifty-three years and counting. It was useless to count. It would never change. Same for Soda, and Darry, and Steve and Two-Bit, the guys they considered family all those years ago. The exception was the two who hadn't had the chance to stay that way. Ponyboy was oddly happy about that. Not the circumstances of how Dallas and Johnny went, but the fact that they weren't doomed to an eternity of routines and overstayed welcomes.

 Ponyboy was undoubtably stuck, but he felt so damn lost. And as he and Soda passed through the fence and up the stairs of the porch, he wondered if he'd never be found again.

**Author's Note:**

> Befriend Me:
> 
> Instagram: @greaserhadnothingtodowithit


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